Watermead Nursery
Good★ 4.8 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Loughborough for children from birth to 8+, open 07:45 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in August 2025. Open since 2004, with 110 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Leicestershire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Leicestershire from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
LE11 3TNWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
- 21 March 2022 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 4 August 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children show that they are settled and feel secure in the nursery. This includes staff playing peekaboo games with very young children. In response, children form positive relationships with staff as they giggle and laugh when they interact with them.
Children are supported to understand how to behave positively. For instance, staff model with younger children how to share fruit. Staff have rules in place when children access the woodland area. Children show they understand these, telling visitors that if they want to go on the swing, they ask their peers and if they say no, they need to wait their turn. Staff help older children to understand similarities and differences between themselves and others. This includes explaining to older children that some children learn in different ways, when referring to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
Children have plenty of experiences to develop a love of books. Children sit well when staff read them stories. Younger children are asked to pretend to be animals in a book, such as to hold their arms up high and pretend to be a giraffe. Older children, including those with SEND, are asked questions about the images they see on the pages. This helps children to stay focused and engaged.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- build on staff's knowledge of how to strengthen the support for younger children's early language skills.
- 4 August 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 5 November 2019Outstanding
- 4 September 2013Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Watermead Nursery
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.